1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for multi-modal context-sensitive applications in a home network environment, and more particularly, to a system and method for managing multi-modal inputs for diverse users dynamically and adapting to the needs of context in a home network environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
This patent application relates to U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,871 issued to Jagannathan et al and entitled “Distributed Agent Software System and Method Having Enhanced Process Mobility and Communication in a Computer Network” and to U.S. patent Publication No. 2003-0046401 filed by Abbott et al. and entitled “Dynamically Determining Appropriate Computer User Interfaces.”
The abstract of Jagannathan's patent discloses a distributed software system and method provided for use with a plurality of potentially heterogeneous computer machines connected as a network. The system may comprise at least one agent comprising a protection domain, wherein the protection domain of the at least one agent resides on at least two of the plurality of computer machines. A plurality of objects is contained within the protection domain of the at least one agent, a first object residing on a first of the at least two computer machines and a second object residing on a second of the at least two computer machines. The objects are selectively movable among the at least two computer machines by a programmer of the system. The first object on the first computer machine may access the second object on the second computer machine in a location-transparent or network-transparent manner; that is, without knowledge of the physical address of the second object on the second computer machine and regardless of the selective movement of either the first object or the second object among the first and second computer machines. The agent is mobile and may migrate, in whole or in part, to any other machine or machines in the network. Each distributed agent may be distributed among one, several or many of the machines of the network. Migration of agents, even during process execution, is straightforward and maintains consistency across the network. Specifically, other agents may continue to access a particular agent after it has migrated without any prior notification to the agents themselves.
This work by Jagannathan et al. primarily deals with the design of a software agent code and its location in a networked communication system. It defines an object task, an agent ID, a task stack, and migration of an agent to a host on a run-time system.
The work by Abbott et al. on “Dynamically Determining Appropriate Computer User Interfaces” involves a method, system, and computer-readable medium for dynamically determining an appropriate user interface (UI) to be provided to a user. In some situations, the determining is to dynamically modify a UI being provided to a user of a wearable computing device so that the current UI is appropriate for a current context of the user. In order to dynamically determine an appropriate UI, various types of UI needs may be characterized based on a current user's situation, a current task being performed, current input/output (I/O) devices that are available, etc. In order to determine characteristics of a UI that is currently optimal or appropriate, various existing UI designs or templates may be characteristics used to identify optimal or appropriate situations, and one of the existing UIs that is most appropriate may then be selected based on the current UI needs.
This work by Abbott et al. facilitates a user of a wearable computing device to dynamically display one of several stored UIs appropriate to context. It defines a method of displaying a dynamic UI based on predefined contexts and uses a UI to select an appropriate UI. However, the work by Abbott only includes pre-defined characterization of the security capabilities of the UI.